Texas Hill Country

About Texas Hill Country

The Texas Hill Country is a land of subdued beauty. Its wonders are found not in majestic mountain ranges or red rock canyons, but hidden beneath a canopy of cypress trees on the bank of a creek, or among granite outcrops where, in the spring, wildflowers blanket the landscape in a kaleidoscope of color. But what it lacks in grandeur is made up for by its quiet charm, which imparts a sense of comfort and well-being to those who are fortunate enough to know it.

Unfortunately, however, that which has always made the Hill Country great is also causing its population to grow at an unprecedented rate. What was once a region of two larger cities with small towns to support farmers and ranchers making a living off the land has given rise to unmanaged growth and a very different landscape than it was fifty years ago. Eventually it may become nothing more than a collection of housing subdivisions, strip malls, and paved roads linking them all together. As vexing as this is for someone who values conservation and solitary communion with the natural world, I cannot simply abandon it for greener pastures any more than I could abandon an ailing loved one with an unfavorable prognosis. My only choice then is to make art that pays homage to the Hill Country of the past, the one I still remember and cherish.

Texas Hill Country presents the land as it once was: pristine and unaffected by humanity, before European settlement began to transform it. It is this Hill Country that has inspired me since I began to make photographs, and still inspires me to this day.